A Deadly Sin
by janurabi
Summary: Part III of the “Blood is Thicker” Series. Willow grows jealous of Brennen and Shalimar’s evolving relationship, creating tension between the two siblings. BS pairing. It’s a good idea to read the previous installments.
1. Default Chapter

Blood is Thicker Part III 

A Deadly Sin

Plot Summary: Willow becomes jealous of Brennen and Shalimar's growing relationship, creating tension between the two siblings. However, a crisis forces Willow to resolve her personal issues with Shalimar and Brennen. An obvious Brennen/Shalimar pairing developing here. Part III of the "Blood is Thicker" series. You must first read "Healing the Feral Heart" and "Simple Duties" in order to understand the nature of Willow and Shalimar's relationship and how they arrived at this point.

Prologue

The noise was enough to wake the dead. Spotlights lit up an otherwise dark room and the heat between bodies was almost mind numbing. Pounding music and gyrating bodies filled the dance floor as people forgot their problems and just blindly followed beat of the hypnotic rhythm.

Jesse was on the dance floor with his girlfriend Sarah, enjoying the time they had together, while Emma was at the bar getting more drinks for the group. Shalimar sat in a small booth playing with her drink, feeling somewhat guilty about leaving Willow back at Sanctuary. Brennen sat across the table from her, sensing Shalimar's obvious discomfort. He didn't know what to say, for all he could think about was her.

"Hey, you okay? You don't look like you're enjoying yourself," Brennen said, obviously concerned. Shalimar loved these kind of places. The adrenaline was enough to make your head spin. He knew that it wasn't like her to not be tearing up the dance floor.

Shalimar took her attention off her drink and looked back up at him, "Yeah…I was just thinking. I mean…I kind of feel bad about leaving Willow. I just don't want her to feel left out."

"I know how you're feel. It must be rough not being able to go out on outings like this. But Shal you have to realize that we can't put our lives on hold because she's under age. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do about that. I don't mean to sound insensitive but…"

"No that's okay, I hear what you're saying. I just can't get my mind off of it," She said looking up at him.

"We're here to relax and have a good time," Brennen got up and walked around towards Shalimar, "Come on, let's dance."

Shalimar looked up at him as he extended his hand. Smiling she accepted and followed him onto the crowded dance floor.

Finding a space, he stood face to face with her and put his hands on her thighs, staring intensely into her eyes. As if on cue, she put her arms around his neck and stared back. Slowly they started moving to the beat of the music, never taking their eyes off each other. The room started spinning, as the tension began to reach its climax.

Shalimar's heart was pounding like it hadn't before. Frightened but exhilarated by the adrenaline, she started to sweat from the heat that was being generated between the two of them. Brennen's hands began a gentle exploration, wondering around her hips and ribcage. Shalimar started to breathe heavily, slowly succumbing to the spell she was falling under.

Brennen's hands slowly made their way up her body. Caressing her neck, he slowly pulled her head forward. He gently looked into her eyes, seeing the love and desire staring right back at him. He moved in and began planting soft kisses on her face, eventually reaching her lips.

Accepting the invitation, Shalimar returned the kiss and began an exploration of her own. Suddenly, all her concerns were forgotten as she melted into his embrace.

Emma had come back to the table with drinks, but looked around when she couldn't find Shalimar and Brennen. Finally spotting them on the dance floor, she saw the ice had been broken as they held each other, moving slowly to the music.

Emma smiled to herself, "So it's finally happened."

Chapter 1

Never the Same Again

_Sanctuary, the next day…_

Willow woke up from a somewhat peaceful sleep, surprised that Shalimar had not come to wake her up sooner. The Sanctuary was quiet that morning, with Adam in the lab doing research, while it seemed that no one else was awake yet.

Wondering what was up, she got out of bed and made her way towards Shalimar's room. Opening the door, she was surprised to find that Shalimar wasn't there. Sensing Shalimar's presence in the Sanctuary however, she made at note of it and wondered towards the kitchen for some breakfast.

Emma was awake, eating a bowl of cereal while reading a book, when Willow stepped into the kitchen. Looking up from her book, Emma gave Willow a gentle smile, "Good morning. You're up early. What did ya do last night?"

Willow returned the smile and opened the fridge grabbing some milk, "Oh not too much. Adam had told me about Proxy Blue's search engine, so I logged on and did some research on Greek myths. Adam's got a great collection of books on all kinds of mythology; I love reading about that stuff. Him and I sat up and discussed the possibility of truths in the myths. It was really intellectually stimulating."

Emma smiled at Willow's growing appreciation of Adam. It was nice that she and Adam had found a common interest from which to bond. "That's great."

"Yeah. Have you seen Shal this morning? She wasn't in her room," Willow looked curiously at Emma.

"Really?! Oh…um…no," Emma blushed slightly, realizing where Shalimar must have been. 

Sensing something was up, Willow sat down at the table across from Emma. "What's going on Em? How was last night?"

"Oh it was fun. We all had a great time. It was nice to get out," Emma stopped short.

Willow eyed her, "Come on, what happened last night? You can tell me, it's no big deal."

"Well Brennen and Shal…" For some reason, Emma felt hesitant. She looked up at Willow, "You know."

Willow slowly began to catch on to what Emma was trying to tell her, "What…they're an item now?"

Emma, breathing a slight sigh of relief nodded. "Well yeah. You see, things have been pretty intense between them for a long time. They finally decided to act on what they've been hiding for the past few years."

Willow sat there and pondered this new development. "Oh, I guess that's great."

Emma felt an awkward silence coming on, "So, tell me more about this mythology of yours."

_Brennen's room…_

The room was still relatively dark, although the lights from the Sanctuary halls were seeping through small cracks in the doorway. Shalimar had not gotten a wink of sleep that night. She didn't want to fall asleep, fearing everything that happened last night was nothing more than a sweet dream and she didn't want the dream to end. She was just content to watch Brennen sleep, adoring everything inch of him.

Shalimar knew things had changed and there was no going back now. Many thoughts had run through her mind, mainly whether or not this was the right thing to do. In her heart, she knew this was her deepest desire. But another part wondered whether this was gonna change the dynamics of the team. Finally, she just decided to shut up and enjoy the moment, for it didn't get much better this.

Brennen had finally begun to stir. Shalimar smiled as she ran a finger down his forehead to his lips. Feeling the tickling sensation, Brennen smiled with his eyes still closed and kissed her finger. Opening his eyes, he smiled at the site lying beside him. Not a word was spoken between the two of them, for their glances said it all.

Shalimar looked at him and caressed his ears. "You know you're adorable when you sleep. I couldn't take my eyes off you all night."

Brennen took her hand in his. "Did you enjoy the show?"

"More than you know," Shalimar smiled kissing his hand. "I love you Brennen Mulwray."

Brennen's heart skipped a beat. For years, he had longed to hear those words from Shalimar and now he was convinced he was the luckiest man alive. "I love you Shalimar Fox."

Shalimar absorbed all of Brennen, promising silently never to forget this moment. "What time is it?"

"It's about seven, why?" Brennen asked.

Shalimar slowly got up out of bed; "Oh shit, I forgot to take Willow out this morning. I hate to leave bu…"

"No it's okay, go ahead," Brennen smiled in understanding. He got up put his arm around Shalimar giving her stomach a tickle, eliciting a chuckle from her.   
She turned around and flashed her eyes at him, "You're playing with fire there buddy." 

Brennen smiled misheviously. "Why? Cause I did this?" He asked, tickling her stomach harder this time, causing her to laugh and squirm in his grasp. He tightened his hold on her, as he continued to tickle her.

Shalimar struggled in his grasp, plotting an escape and an appropriate revenge. Finding an opening, she slipped out of his arms and turned to him, flashing her eyes. Brennen just stared back in defiance.

With all her strength, she lunged at him, causing him to fall on the bed. She landed on top of him, pinning his arms over his head. "Now I'm gonna find out where your ticklish," She smiled with satisfaction as she began a teasing exploration.

Running her tongue over his toned stomach, she felt the muscles twitch underneath. Looking up she grinned in victory, "Aw, looks like I found one. Who would've thought that big bad Brennen was ticklish."

Brennen looked up at her; "It was the best kept secret in the world until now. Now I'm afraid I'm gonna have to kill you." Brennen threw her over to the other side of the bed and turned the tables. Pinning her down and staring at her, he leaned in and kissed her.

"You can kill me anytime you want," Shalimar whispered into his ear.

"Okay, I guess that's enough playtime," Brennen said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I tell you what. What do you say to picking up where we left off tonight?"

"Hmmmm, I don't know, I might be busy," Shalimar teased.

"Is that right?" Brennen moved in and gave her a passionate kiss.

"Well, I guess I could probably work something out," Shalimar smiled as she turned to get dressed. She turned to him and flashed her eyes at him as she left the room.

_The kitchen…_

Shalimar had heard some chuckling coming from the kitchen as she walked towards it. Seeing Willow and Emma at the kitchen table, she walked into the room smiling at them. "Morning you two."

"Hey Shal," Emma smiled.

"Hi," Willow gave a half-hearted smile.

"So what are you two troublemakers up to this morning huh?" Shalimar mischievously smiled at them.

"Oh not much, just chatting about mythology," Willow replied.

"Oh yeah," Shalimar went up to Willow and ruffled her hair. "Sorry for missing our running date this morning kiddo."

"S'okay," Willow shrugged.

"We still have a date in the dojo right?" Shalimar responded.

"Yeah, I guess," Willow looked up at her.

"What do ya mean you guess?" Shalimar smiled. "Half an hour sweetie." She turned to walk out of the room.

"Hey Shal?" Willow stopped her before she walked out. "You, me and Emma, we're still going to the movies tonight right?"

Shalimar didn't turn around. She grimaced at the reminder because she had totally forgotten her promise to Willow and made a date with Brennen. "Listen kiddo, I have to take a raincheck tonight we'll go together next week okay?"

Willow sat back down in her chair, as if she'd just been pierced in the heart with an arrow, "Yeah whatever."

"Hey Will, you and I can still go," Emma stepped in, feeling Willow's obvious disappointment.

"Yeah, sure…," Willow answered somewhat in a daze.

"Hey that's a promise kiddo, next week, alright?" Shalimar said feeling guilty that she had obviously gotten so caught with Brennen, that she forgotten her promise. "Hey, you got a smile for me?"

Willow looked up at her and smiled at little.

"Okay, I'll see you in the dojo," Shalimar said as she walked out of the kitchen.

Emma knew that there was a potential situation brewing here, but decided to stay out of it for now.

End of Chapter 1


	2. Mixed Messages

Chapter 2 

Mixed Messages

The Medical Lab… 

"Shalimar, good morning, just the person I wanted to see," Adam turned as Shalimar walked into the lab.

"Morning Adam," Shalimar smiled as she came in.

"Shal, I wanted to talk to you about Willow's birthday," Adam looked at her seeing her mind was elsewhere, "It's coming up in a few days."

"Really, I didn't know that," Shalimar realized, she was still thinking about Willow's odd behavior in the kitchen earlier.

"Well I don't think she knew that either. She spent her entire life with the GSA, it's unlikely that Eckhart threw birthday parties," Adam joked. "I was just thinking if you could help me with doing something special for her."

Shalimar chuckled, "I'd love to. Besides, looks like she could use some cheering up."

Adam looked at her, "Oh really, what makes you say that?"

"Well, she seemed kind of down this morning. I mean I don't think canceling our movie date tonight helped any," Shalimar looked at Adam, with guilt written all over her face.

"Why did you do that?" Adam asked.

Shalimar began to glow, "Well…I made a date tonight."

Adam had a smile on his face, "Really? You have a date? With who?"

Shalimar hesitated for a moment, but what's the harm right? "Well with Brennen."

Adam smiled a little. "Brennen. Well I'll be damned. I can't honestly say that I'm surprised though. I noticed that there's been something there."

"Were we that obvious?" Shalimar asked.

Adam nodded.

"Well, anyways what did you have in mind for Willie?" Shalimar asked determined to make it up to Willow.

The Dojo (about 30 minutes later)… 

Feigning to the right, she dodged a killer blow. Spinning around, doing a kick she knocked the subject flat on his back. The hologram faded out of existence. Her senses heightened as she felt the presence of someone approaching. Turning around swiftly, she sent her fist flying in the direction of the approaching subject.

"Whoa, nice move," Shalimar said, blocking the shot with her arm. "As much as I hate to say it, I have to hand it to the GSA, they trained you well."

Willow seized her attack and backed away. "It's all I lived for there."

"What exactly were they training you for?" Shalimar asked curiously.

Willow just shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows, probably to be an assassin or something along those lines."

"Well whatever it was, time to test your skills against me," Shalimar winked at Willow.

Willow's body tensed up as the two of them faced each other.

15 Minutes Later… 

Brennen was in a daze all morning. The thought that the woman he loved was now his, was music to his ears. He walked aimlessly through the halls of the Sanctuary for several minutes. He came upon the dojo where Shalimar and Willow were engaged in a very intense exercise. He stood at a distance admiring Shalimar.

He got lost in his own thoughts that he didn't see Shalimar approaching him.

"Hey, you awake?" Shalimar asked putting her arms around him.

"Yeah I was just thinking," Brennen smiled.

"Oh yeah? What about?" Shalimar ran her hands through Brennen's hair.

"Oh nothing. Just about how lucky I am," Brennen leaned in and kissed Shalimar.

Willow was watching from the dojo and rolled her eyes in disgust, "Get a room you guys."

Brennen and Shalimar looked up at Willow. Willow just smirked and shook her head as she lept down from the dojo walking away from the two of them.

"What was that all about?" Brennen continued to look in the direction that Willow went.

"She's been acting weird all morning. I think it's because I'm not going with her and Emma to the movies tonight," Shalimar shrugged.

"You know we can do this another night. I mean it's obvious that this was important to her," Brennen suggested.

"No it's cool. I explained it to her earlier. Don't worry. I think she understands," Shalimar reassured him.

"Okay. Remember it's you and me tonight," Brennen smiled.

"Oh yeah I almost forgot," Shalimar laughed. "Anyways, I got go have a shower."

"Yeah, make sure you do okay? Because you stink," Brennen teased.

Shalimar growled and smacked Brennen across the chest, as he continued to laugh. "Jerk!"

The Double Helix… 

"Hey Jess," Emma said as she approached Jesse working in the Helix.

"Hey Em," Jesse replied.

"How are the repairs going?" Emma asked.

"They're going slowly. Probably would've gone faster if I didn't have such a damn headache this morning," Jesse held his head as he looked at Emma.

"Aw poor baby. Maybe you should've laid off some of those beers," Emma winked. "Anyways, you got a minute?"

"Yeah, I suppose I could take a break," Jesse dropped his tools and sat down. "What's on you're mind?"

"Well you know about Brennen and Shalimar right?" Emma asked.

"Are you kidding? I caught a glimpse of them lip-locking as me and Sarah left the dance floor," Jesse laughed.

"Yeah, I guess it was coming one way or another right?" Emma smiled. "I wanted to talk about Willow."

"What about her?" Jesse was curious.

"I got some pretty negative vibes off her when I told her this morning. To make matters worse, Shalimar backed out of going to the movies tonight, so it's just us," Emma sighed.

"What so you think she's jealous?" Jesse surmised from Emma's observations.

"Well, I that's what I would guess. I mean she's gone through such a range of emotions over the past few weeks. Being possessive and overprotected is pretty common with siblings, especially ferals. I'm just worried that this could get worse before it gets better," Emma was genuinely concerned, knowing fully that whole feral territorial thing.

"Worried we might end up being peacemakers? They'll work it out I'm sure. I wouldn't worry about it too much," Jesse reassured her.

"Yeah, I hope your right. I just keep thinking about what happened with Nikki ya know?" Emma recalled the last incident when two ferals clashed in the Sanctuary.

Flashback… 

"Excuse me?" Shalimar stared at Nikki and Brennen as they both stood in Shalimar's room.

Nikki squirmed a little. "Shalimar!"

"What's going on here?" Shalimar entered the room not taking her eyes off Nikki.

"Nothing," Brennen interjected.

"Stay out of this Brennen," Shalimar glanced at him and glared at Nikki. "I think you've overstayed your welcome."

Nikki looked dumbfounded, "I'm sorry?"

"No I'm sorry! Time to get your things," Shalimar growled pushing Nikki towards the door, "Get the hell out of here." Shalimar didn't let up continuing to advance on Nikki. "You are wearing my clothes, in my room, trying to take over my life, NOW GET THE HELL OUT!"

Jesse, Emma and Adam came running around the corner, after hearing the commotion. Shalimar turned to them as Nikki continued to stare at Shalimar with fear.

Adam was furious and looked at her, "Shalimar, get a hold of yourself."

Present… 

Emma recalled the event as if it happened yesterday. Jesse approached her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Look, like I said I don't think it's gonna come to that."

"Yeah you're right, how bad could it get right?" Emma smiled.

"Listen, I'm just gonna finish up here and get cleaned up, maybe I'll join you guys," Jesse said as he grabbed his tools.

"Sure sounds great," Emma said as she left the Helix.

End of Chapter 2


	3. Bottled Up Emotions

Chapter 3 

Bottled Up Emotions

Sanctuary around Midnight… 

The Sanctuary was quite that night and Adam was in the lab analyzing the xenocium he found in Willow's blood stream. Ever since hearing what happened to Augustine's son and the other new mutants, he had been concerned that Willow could end up suffering the same consequences. Even though Genomex had claimed that they corrected the fatal side effects, he wanted to be sure that there was no danger of the same thing happening.

Just then he heard laughter ringing through the halls as Brennen and Shalimar entered the room.

He just smiled at them, "Hey, did you guys have a good time?"

"Hey Adam. We sure did. So what you've been up to on this quiet night?" Brennen asked.

"Well I've been going over Willow's blood samples to make sure that there's no danger from the xenocium. I had Jesse hack into Genomex's files and retrieve tissue samples from tests done on Grant Augustine. I've been comparing the two samples," Adam explained.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Shalimar was concerned. Lord knows she didn't want to lose Willow. She had become the world to her in the short time she was with them.

"I think so. After comparing them, I noticed that Willow only had trace elements of the drug in her blood, whereas Grant's blood contained highly dangerous levels of the xenocium. Now Genomex claims they solved the problem that caused the drug to become volatile. From what I see here, Willow's system has already begun to flush out whatever trace of the drug was still there, so I think it's safe to say she's out of the woods," Adam rubbed his neck, it being stiff from continuously glancing through a microscope.

"Well that's good news," Brennen smiled as he put his arm around Shalimar.

Shalimar breathed a sigh of relief, "Sure is."

"So Shalimar, you and Jesse working on our little surprise for Willow?" Adam looked at her.

"Yeah, I know she'll love it," Shalimar glowed.

"Wait, what's this about?" Brennen asked, obviously in the dark about what was going on.

"Well, turns out that Willow's birthday is in a couple of days and we wanna get a little surprise for her," Shalimar winked at Adam.

"No kidding. Wanna let me in on it?" Brennen looked onto Shalimar's eyes and was instantly lost in them.

Just then footsteps approached the lab as Shalimar shushed everyone. Emma, Jesse and Willow had come in talking about the movie amongst one another.

"Hey guys. How was the movie?" Shalimar turned still keeping her arm around Brennen.

"It was great!" Jesse exclaimed.

"It was okay," Emma said rather less enthusiastically.

"It was totally inaccurate," Willow added.

"Jesse won at paper/rock/scissors and wound up picking the movie because we couldn't agree on one," Emma sighed in an annoyed tone.

"You should've used your empathic powers to figure out that he was gonna use the scissors," Willow joked.

"Yeah well it doesn't work that way shorty," Emma responded. She had become very fond of Willow and had chosen "shorty" as a suitable nickname for her, considering she only came up to her chest.

"Well, I'd love to stay up and debate the scientific inaccuracies of the movie, but I'm beat," Willow almost totally ignored Brennen and Shalimar and turned to walk out of the room. "Don't you kiddies stay up too late."

Everyone said they're goodnights as Willow disappeared out of sight. Shalimar was somewhat hurt at Willow's abrupt exit. She knew something was up with her, for it seemed that Willow had been avoiding her and was standoffish all day. She made a mental note to herself to talk to her about it later. Knowing that Willow's birthday was coming up, she wanted it to be special for her. Willow had never celebrated her birthday before. It was even unlikely she even knew when it was, so she was truly hoping that Willow would love the surprise they had in store for her.

"Hey Jess, you gonna be able to finish in time for Willow's birthday?" Shalimar asked.

"Yeah should be. I think it'll be ready for Thursday. I'll start working on it tomorrow, so I'll be a little busy," Jesse yawned.

"Well, I can help you out with whatever you need," Shalimar offered.

"Just make sure she doesn't find her way to the safehouse," Jesse winked.

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Shalimar smirked.

"You're working on it in a safehouse?" Emma looked at him.

"Well it's the only place that Willow wouldn't go snooping around in, so it was the best idea," Jesse explained.

"Wait, is someone gonna fill me in on what this surprise is?" Brennen became slightly agitated at the fact he was totally clueless as to what was going on.

Shalimar just laughed and took his hand, "Come on. I'll tell you all about it."

Jesse just looked at Emma and Adam, smiled and shook his head. Emma looked on, obviously concerned with Willow's state of mind and the fact she was avoiding the issue like the plague. On the way the movie, she was trying to pry out of Willow how she felt about Brennen and Shalimar's relationship. Willow kept changing the subject and Emma knew that she wasn't gonna get it out of her without reading her.

Adam noticed Emma's rather serious expression and put his hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little worried about Willow's reaction to Brennen and Shalimar. She's been kind of avoiding the subject. Plus it didn't help that Shalimar backed out of the movie tonight," Emma's concern was showing through her words.

"Well, we all know that ferals have a territorial thing, especially when it comes to family and friends. Let's just hope it's something her and Shalimar can work out. But keep an eye on her," Adam said understanding her worries.

"I will. Goodnight," Emma said as she turned to leave.

"Goodnight," Adam responded.

Two days later… 

Things had been pretty routine for the past few days. Jesse was away in the safehouse working on Willow's surprise, while Adam continued his work in the lab. Brennen and Shalimar's relationship was in full swing. The two of them were almost inseparable except when Shalimar went to workout in the dojo with Willow. Willow had been keeping up with her exercises, avoiding any serious conversations with Shalimar and Emma. They had both made many attempts to get her to open up, but she insisted on talking about other things.

Shalimar had started becoming rather agitated with Willow's avoidance, especially when she walked out of the dojo when Brennen came to join them in their exercises. Brennen had mentioned to Shalimar that Willow hadn't said one word to him in the last few days, but didn't tell her that it was starting to bother him a little. He had come to think of Willow as a little sister and she normally would talk his ear off during breakfast. Now it seemed that she would avoid eye contact and limit conversations to one word answers.

With Willow's birthday being tomorrow, Shalimar had really hoped that she would be in better spirits, but Willow wasn't her normal playful self, considering her and Shalimar used to play fight all the time. She even noticed the bantering that normally took place between the two of them had seized. Shalimar was hoping that the surprise they had in store for Willow would cheer her up and bring her out of her shell.

They had decided to have a night in together, renting a few flicks and ordering pizza. Things seemed to be more normal that night as everyone was in high spirits, even Willow, especially after engaging in a food fight that she started.

Once they had settled down to watch the movies, Shalimar and Brennen naturally cuddled up next to each other while Willow sat in a chair beside them. Every once in a while, she'd catch them quietly whispering into each other's ears. Rolling her eyes at the obvious displays of affection, she shifted in her chair clinging to her pillow. The lovefest was really starting to get to her and no less than a half-hour later, she had finally had enough.

"You know what guys, I'm sorry but I'm going to bed," Willow tried to mask the real reason she was leaving.

"Aw come on Willow, the movie's not even half way through," Jesse pleaded with her. "Don't you wanna know how it ends?

"I'm sure you'll tell me all about it tomorrow," Willow smiled at him. She looked at the others, "Goodnight guys."

"Goodnight," they all said in unison.

She silently went to her room and closed the door for some much needed privacy. Jealousy was a new emotion she never really encountered before and she was confused to say the least. Falling down on her bed, she let the tears fall freely and began cry herself to sleep.

End of Chapter 3


	4. Boiling Point

Chapter 4 

Boiling Point

Sanctuary at dawn… 

She knew it was dawn, but she didn't want to wake up. No, she would've been just content to stay there for the entire day. Her eyes had been sore from crying all night and she wasn't in the greatest of moods. Glancing at the door of her room, she just yawned and turned over to fall back asleep. She knew though, if Shalimar even remembered, that she was gonna come pouncing onto her bed at anytime. If she wasn't too busy this time…

Sleep was not gonna happen and she sighed, _why do I even bother_, as she forced herself out of bed.

Kitchen… 

"Ya know, if someone doesn't go and wake her up, she'll sleep all day," Shalimar said rather impatiently. She was anxious to go and yank Willow out of bed and make this day special for her. Her behavior had been pretty non-Willow like the past few days and she was going to make a point of having a long big sister talk with her today.

"Aw come on Shal, give her a few more minutes, it's her birthday," Jesse smiled, understanding Shalimar's lack of patience.

Just then the room filled with silence as a very tired looking Willow strolled into the kitchen. Shalimar noted the sad, exhausted expression on her face. She was starting to become concerned that this was more than what it seemed.

Not making eye contact with any of them, she sat down at the table with a glass of milk. Then she looked up and saw everyone staring at her. She mustered a small smile and did her best to seem a little happier, "Morning."

"How are you doing this morning?" Emma asked.

"I've got a wicked headache," Willow sighed, as she ran her hands through her head. "Why do you ask?"

"You just seem kind of down and we're a little worried," Jesse added.

Willow shook her head and reassured, "I'm fine, my head's just pounding. But really I'm okay."

Shalimar wasn't buying it for one second. She sat there staring at Willow, sad at the idea that she didn't even acknowledge her. She knew that she had broken several promises she made to her, but she didn't think Willow would take it that much to heart. Forcing her thoughts downward, she got up and extend her hand towards Willow, "Come with me."

Willow looked up at Shalimar and saw the glow on her face. Instantly she knew something was going on and she had a suspicion that she was the only one who was in the dark. Eyeing Shalimar, she took her hand, "Okay."

They left the kitchen, with the others not too far behind.

"Where are we going, Shal?" Willow asked.

"Close your eyes," Shalimar said smiling at her.

"What?! What for," Willow gave her a weird look.

"Please just close them, trust me," Shalimar pleaded with her.

Willow complied with Shalimar's request, blindly being led through the halls of Sanctuary. They came to a stop in the garden and Shalimar started to grin from ear to ear, "Okay you can open them."

On cue, Willow opened her eyes. Her jaw dropped to the floor as she stood in utter shock. Standing before was a motorcycle, an RC51 model to be exact. Willow, somewhat speechless, squeezed Shalimar's hand and slowly walked towards it.

"Oh Wow! An RC51! It's incredible," a single tear ran down her face as she circled the bike, quoting the specifications she noted, just by looking over it, "999cc liquid-cooled 90-degree V-twin, ignition computer-controlled digital with three-dimensional mapping, valve train has four valves per cylinder…I can't believe it. Looks like there where modifications done to it."

"Yeah I installed a tracking device. All I did was modify the mapping system. It now acts like a GPS," Jesse explained. He approached with a small device that looked like a flashlight. "Now this little guy is a bug. All you do is shoot at the subject, the bug sets in and immediately begins to track the subject, feeding information to the GPS, displaying the subject's exact location on the screen." He pointed the small screen near the handle bars. "Now besides being a tracking device, it can also be used as a map. What it does is it uses satellite technology to pinpoint your exact location. If you're lost, you just enter where you're trying to get to and it will display everything; how far it is, how long it'll take to get there and alternate routes. It's a handy little device."

"It's amazing…I," She looked at Shalimar and the others, truly touched by the gesture. "What's this for?"

"Happy birthday Willie," Shalimar smiled kissing her cheek.

Willow just looked completely dumbfounded, "It's my birthday?! How did…I mean I didn't even know when it was."

"Well I stumbled across it when I was going over your records," Adam smiled.

Willow turned to Shalimar, "This was you're idea wasn't it?"

Shalimar smiled and nodded. Willow approached her and embraced her tightly, "Thank you. I love you, Shal."

"Love ya too, Willie," Shalimar responded.

Upon releasing Shalimar, she went and hugged the others, forgetting for the moment what had transpired over the last few days. She was on cloud nine with her gift and was so grateful that they had taken the time to do something so special.

After several moments of dotting and complimenting Jesse on his work, she got the itch to go for a ride. "Hey Shal! Let's go for a spin, we can race and everything!"

The smile disappeared from Shalimar's face. "Honey, I can't right now. Brennen and I…"

She was about to finish her sentence and add that they would spend the entire afternoon together alone, but Willow's mind was fixed on the one answer, "No, that's right, I get it. You're too busy sucking face with lover boy over there! Excuse me."

She brushed past Shalimar and Brennen, storming off to her room. Incensed at Willow's remark Shalimar immediately pursued her.

Willow's room… 

Willow sat on her bed and stared into space. Several seconds later, an angry Shalimar burst into the room, looking like she was gonna kick some ass.

"Alright. No more games. What the hell was that all about? We go out of our way to give you something special and you throw it back in everyone's face by making some snide comment about Brennen and I! What is going on in your head?" Shalimar shouted.

"I'm surprised you even noticed," Willow remarked not even looking at her.

"Okay, Willow you're acting like a child. I've been more than patient with your little act, but this has gone on long enough!" Frustrated that Willow seemed to be off in another world, she grabbed her arm and forced her to stand up. "Dammit! You look at me while I'm speaking to you. I love Brennen!"

"Is that a fact? Well you fucked him, you might as well take the next logical step!"

She couldn't help it. It came like a crashing wave and before she could react, she had already done it. Shalimar's anger had reached a boiling point and before she could even think about it, she wound up and cracked Willow across the mouth, knocking her off balance.

For several moments, they just stood there, both in shock from just transpired. Willow held her jaw. It burned like hell. She just gave Shalimar a glare and flashed her eyes. At that moment, she thought about retaliating, but she just got up and stormed out of the room without another word.

Shalimar couldn't move, she just stood there in disbelief. She sat down on Willow's bed and began to sob uncontrollably. "I can't believe what I just did. Willow…"

Willow just kept walking. She brushed past Brennen on her way, with Brennen making a vain attempt to stop her. "Where are you going?"

"None of your business!" Willow barked. "Let me go!" She ripped her arm away from him and left.

About a mile away from Stormking… 

The scene kept playing over in her head. She wished she could've taken it back from the get go, but it had already escaped her by then. _Can't blame her for hitting me,_ Willow thought to herself. They had hit each other many times in the dojo doing their exercises, but this was different, this was out of anger. And she knew it took everything in her power not to hit Shalimar back, but she was thankful she didn't. _How can I ever go back there?_

She sat there, not even turning around, she sensed an approaching subject and immediately recognized his scent. "You always stick your nose where it doesn't belong, Brennen?"

"What's with the attitude all of a sudden? Where's all this contempt for me coming from?" Brennen asked.

"What does it matter?" Willow said, tears running down her cheeks.

"It matters, Will. What goes on between you two, it effects all of us. We're all part of a team and everyone's gotta be on the same page," Brennen approached her slowly.

"Brave and fearless leader. What are you Mr. Fix-It now?" Willow asked sarcastically. "You think you can go around and solve everyone's problems? Alright, you wanna know what my problem is?" Willow turned to him. "You're taking her away from me! I've never had anyone before and she's all I got! The only tie I have to my past. Everytime she makes a promise to me she breaks it for you! It's your fault!"

"Willow…" Brennen approached and put his hands around her arms.

"Let go of me!" Willow shouted as she struggled to get away from him.

Just then without warning, the ground underneath shook and dropped. The two of them stopped and looked at each other. "What the hell?" Brennen looked around. Just then the ground moved again and they both panicked.

"Brennen! What's happening?" Willow holding onto him. Just then the ground gave way as they both fell down some kind of hole.

End of Chapter 4


	5. Stuck In a Rut

Chapter 5 

Stuck in a Rut

Sanctuary… 

She sat alone in silence, crying in disbelief. Unable to shake the vision of hitting Willow, she began to sob uncontrollably. She had let her anger get the best of her and the rest was history. Never had she ever imagined hitting her. It just happened. A momentary laps in judgement. However, what gutted at her the most was the fact that part of her felt that she deserved it. It ate away at her. She wanted to strangle Willow for acting like a child, but at the same time, she wanted to hold her and tell her just how much she loved her.

Emma stood at the door of the room, unsure of whether or not to enter. She felt Shalimar's anguish and wanted so much to console her.

"You gonna just stand there or you gonna actually say something?" Shalimar never turned her head, but sensed Emma's presence.

"You okay?" Emma approached and sat on the bed next to her.

"I don't know. I mean…I am so angry at her behavior, but part of me doesn't blame her. I wish I could take back what I did, but I can't," Shalimar sighed wiping tears from her cheeks.

"I'm not trying to justify what you did Shal. You acted out of anger. Sometimes our anger gets the best of us. I mean, she was out of line for what she said. She should've told you what she was feeling before this got out of hand, but she chose to bottle herself up and now…" Emma stopped short.

"Yeah now this. I just wish I hadn't smacked her, she didn't deserve that," Shalimar cried. "Where is she?"

"She left, but Brennen followed her to make sure she was okay," Emma reassured her.

"Oh boy. That'll be interesting," Shalimar shook her head. She looked at Emma. "Do you think we're made a mistake?"

Emma sighed and put her arm around Shalimar. "Only time will tell Shal. But I do know that if it's right in your heart, then how could it be a mistake."

Shalimar smiled. In her heart, it felt so right it was scary. Her thoughts now turned to making the situation right. "What do you think I should do about Willow?"

"I think when she gets back, you two should have a long talk. I'm sure she'll forgive you, Shal. That's what family does," Emma smiled.

Shalimar hugged her and together they sat in silence.

The cave… 

Things had gone black for a while, but Brennen woke up with a sudden jolt and studied his surroundings. Seeing only the light emanating from above them, he grimaced as his head began to pound. He felt his head and found a sore bump forming on his forehead. He looked at his hand to reveal blood he could only assume that came from the wound. After several moments, he began to search for Willow. Finding a pile of rubble not far from him, he found a small arm protruding from it. Slowly he began to clear the rubble only to find an unconscious Willow lying before him.

"Willow! Willow! Come on wake up," Brennen urged as he gently rubbed her face. "Come on talk to me."

Hearing a blurred voice calling her name, she struggled to focus on it. Her head was throbbing and she was cold, but she willed herself to open her eyes. "Brennen?"

He sighed with relief that she was coherent and began to search for further injuries. Willow slowly began to move and look around her. Feeling a sharp pain going through her leg, she tried to move it. "ARGHHH!!!"

"What's wrong?" Brennen looked concerned at her.

"My leg. I…I think it's broken," She uttered in pain. "I tried to move it, but I can't." 

"Whoa whoa there. Just relax, don't make any sudden movement," Brennen said as he looked at her leg.

"Great, this is turning into one hell of day," Willow shook her head gently.

"Okay just hang tight," Brennen spoke into his comring. "Adam, it's Brennen. Do you read?"

Silence answered him back. "Jesse, Shal, anyone can you hear me? Damn, I think my comring's dead."

"Shal can you hear me?" Willow spoke into hers. Hearing nothing, she gave up. "Mine is too." Finally being able to focus clearly, she saw the blood on Brennen's forehead. "You're hurt."

Brennen looked at her and smiled. "I'm okay, it's just a scratch. I'm more worried about you. I mean I'm not Adam, but judging by the hazy look in your eyes, I'd say you have a concussion. How do you feel?"

"Well, besides the fact that my head is pounding and my leg is throbbing, I'd say just ducky," Willow joked making light of the whole situation. "Not to mention the fact that they probably have no idea where we are."

Brennen smiled glad that she hadn't lost her sense of humor. "Well just hang tough. We'll be okay."

Willow leaned back and observed Brennen in thought. "What are we going to do?"

Brennen contemplated this for several moments. "Well I'd say first thing we should do is find a way of building a fire. You up for singing some campfire songs?"

Willow just giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Just relax and I'll check things out," Brennen got up and began looking at their surroundings.

Sanctuary… 

An hour had passed with no word from neither Brennen nor Willow. Adam had become worried when he couldn't get any signal from their comrings. Jesse was frantically trying to ascertain their last position, with Shalimar pacing back in forth in worry.

"Okay according to Brennen's last call –in, he was about a mile west of here," Jesse explained. "That was about a half hour ago. It's possible that he could still be in that area somewhere."

Adam turned to Emma. "Emma can you link up with Willow or Brennen telempathically?"

"I'll try," Emma said. She began to focus her thoughts in an attempt to establish a link. Adam and Shalimar walked towards her as she put herself into a trance.

She turned to Adam and Shalimar. "What did you see Emma?"

"I saw Brennen and Willow in a small room with no doors or windows," Emma looked at Adam.

"What do you think that means?" Shalimar began to worry even more with Emma's vision.

"The analogy could suggest that he feels trapped with no way out," Adam guessed.

Shalimar just turned to Adam, "I have to go out and find them. Jesse said Brennen last checked in a half an hour ago around this area. I think we should start there."

"Alright, you and Emma will go. Jesse will stay here and try to re-establish contact with them."

The cave… 

Brennen finally could relax. After several failed attempts to start a fire, he got it going. He sat back feeling a small sense of accomplishment.

"Good job Bren," Willow smiled weakly.

"Thanks," Brennen winked at her. An awkward silence fell as Willow contemplated what to say next. "Listen…I'm sorry about the way I've been treating you for the past few days. I've been acting like a baby and I wasn't being very fair to you. I realize that now after Shalimar knocked some sense into me." Brennen just shrugged, "No harm done. But I think the one you should be apologizing to is Shalimar." 

Willow looked at the ground and nodded. "Yeah. I have to admit I've never really been involved in something like this before. I mean that's not really an excuse because I can't play the victim for the rest of my life. If could do it again, I'd do it differently. I got us into this."

"Well, that's part of growing up Will. You make mistakes and you do you're best not to repeat them," Brennen sat down beside her. "It's cool."

"Thanks Bren." She paused for a moment. There was one question that was burning inside her. "Do you really love her?"

Brennen turned to her. "More than you know."

Willow looked at him, seeing the truth behind the words and smiled. "I can't think of someone I'd rather have her with than you." She looked at him and held out her hand. "Pals?"

Brennen smiled and took her hand. "Always."

End of Chapter 5


	6. All Apologies

Chapter 6 

All Apologies

About a mile from Sanctuary… 

"Anything?"

"Nothing."

"Dammit, what could've happened to them?" Shalimar frantically looked around the area and at Emma.

"Just calm down. I'm sure they're gonna be okay. Unfortunately, I can't use my powers as a homing beacon," Emma sighed.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that," Shalimar began to use her feral sense to find Brennen and Willow's scent. After several moments, she finally picked up something. "This way."

The cave… 

"I'm tired," Willow whispered as Brennen held her to keep her warm.

"It's okay. Go to sleep, I'll keep watch," he smiled as he cradled her.

Feeling as safe with him, she relaxed in his arms and smiled, "Thanks Bren."

"Anytime."

Not too far away… 

"Adam, I have their scent. They're close."

"Alright, keep me posted. I'll have Jesse standing by in the Helix."

"Gotcha." Shalimar continued to sniff around.

Her and Emma approached a small clearing in the woods. It had clouded over that afternoon and the fog that was caused by the humidity was starting to thicken.

"The scent is getting stronger. They're really close," Shalimar continued to walk forward, unawares of the hole she was approaching. The ground crumbled away from under her feet.

"Shal!" Emma raced and dropped by the edge. Just as she looked over, Shalimar emerged from the hole landing beside her.

Emma just eyed her and smirked. "Nice move."

"Thanks." Shalimar and Emma stood over the edge staring down a hole that never seemed to end.

"You think they're down there?" Emma asked.

"Well, the scent is really strong here. Definitely possible," Shalimar knelt down next to her. "BRENNEN! CAN YOU HEAR ME? WILLOW!"

Brennen had fallen asleep as well, probably from the massive headache he was experiencing. However, a distant noise slowly brought him out of his slumber. Hearing Shalimar's voice echoing from above, he tried to rouse Willow.

"Willow! Wake up. It's Shal," a wide sense of relief had overcome him.

"Shal?" Willow was still a bit hazy, but hearing her sister's voice was like hearing sweet music.

Brennen stood up, gently placing Willow on the ground. Glancing up towards the entrance above, he mustered everything he could to shout back, "SHAL! WE'RE DOWN HERE! SHAL!"

Shalimar stopped after hearing Brennen's voice. "Did you here that? They're down there. ARE YOU ALRIGHT!"

"WE'RE OKAY. WILLOW'S HURT," came a response from below.

"Damn! HANG TOUGH, WE'RE ON OUR WAY!" Shalimar shouted back. "Adam we've found them, they fell down what looks like a mine shaft or a well of some kind."

"Are they alright?"

"Yeah, I think so. From what I could make out, Willow's injured."

"Okay, Jesse's on his way with the Helix. He should be there right away."

Brennen let out a huge breath, "They found us Will."

Willow just looked at him, "Aw damn and I was starting to like it down here."

"Well I could always leave you here if you wanted."

"Nah you guys would miss me too much. Wouldn't you feel naked without me?"

Brennen just laughed, enjoying the playful exchange. He was relieved that Willow seemed to be back to her old self, excluding the concussion of course. After dealing with Shalimar's moods for quite a while, he had become pretty good with handling feral temper tantrums. He couldn't really be mad at Willow for her behavior. After all, Shalimar definitely had her share of tantrums over the years. So he was a little more understanding than he used to be.

Sanctuary (several hours later)… 

After being rescued by Jesse in the Helix, Willow and Brennen where in the lab being fussed over by Adam and a very relieved Shalimar. After being cleared, Brennen left the lab for his room and bed at Adam's urging. Adam had finished running further tests on Willow, confirming Brennen's worries of a slight concussion. What bothered her though, was Adam's insistence that she remain bed ridden for the next few days. Adam just chuckled at the predictable feral response. After being through with his tests, he left Shalimar and Willow.

"How are you feeling?" Shalimar took her hand and kissed her forehead.

"Terrific. Next silly question?" Willow joked, still feeling the effects of the concussion.

Shalimar chuckled. Things couldn't be too bad since Willow was back to her usual sarcastic self. Her face then grew serious. "Listen, I know that the last thing you want to do is talk right now. You don't have to say a thing, just hear me out okay?"

Willow nodded, curious as to what she was going to say.

"I'm not gonna excuse your behavior over the last few days. You did act like a child…but after having sometime to think about it, turns out you weren't the only one. I have to admit, I've been acting like a schoolgirl and Brennen has been occupying a good portion of my time for the last few days. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I was ditching you, that wasn't fair to you. We definitely should've talked this out before it got as bad as it did."

Willow just nodded, holding on to every word.

Shalimar bowed her head in shame, "And about…"

Willow squeezed her hand. "Hey, Shal. I'm not mad anymore. It hurt me a lot, more on the inside than anything else. It's me who should apologize. I mean, I'm the one who acted like an ass. I realize that now after getting some time to think about it."

Shalimar smiled caressing her forehead, "It's all good."

"I guess that's all part of the sister thing," Willow sat up a little.

"Yeah. And I'm sorry that your birthday turned out to be a bust. I really wanted to make something to remember." Shalimar said in a regretful tone.

"Hey, it was memorable." Willow smiled, flashing her dimples. "Just not the way you'd expect."

Shalimar just laughed and nodded in agreement. Kissing her, she turned around to leave. "Now get some rest and get better. It's gonna be lonely in the dojo without you."

"I will." Willow watched Shalimar walk away. "Hey Shal!" Shalimar turned to her. "Jock strap."

Shalimar smiled. "Brainwave."

The End

Man, that was a difficult write, just because I head writer's block. Thanks y'all for your input. I really appreciate it. I'm just getting started. I have to warn you guys that my stories are gonna get a little crazier and unrealistic from here on in. Once my creative juices get flowing, I do all sorts of crazy shit. So please bear with me.

Coming up

The Valley of the Kings

Part IV of the "Blood is Thicker" Series. While on a trip to Egypt, Mutant X uncovers a plot to steal the legendary Eye of Osiris; a weapon believed to only exist in myth. My homage to Indiana Jones & the Mummy. Lots of mythology and stuff.


End file.
